Saturday, 28 February 2015

See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

​The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

​At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Monday, 23 February 2015

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

Saturday, 21 February 2015

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Thursday, 19 February 2015

“The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?

Losing it - a term we use in all sorts of ways, from losing our minds to losing our youth, to losing our temper. However we use it, it's rarely in a positive sense.

Here comes Jesus, as usual, turning things around, encouraging us to think differently. To see losing as something positive.

For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.

Why don't we like the feeling of loss? It speaks of lack of control. Whoa - and that's scary. To not be in full command.

Jesus asks, even demands, that we put ourselves in that scary place - for God's sake!

It's not a surrender.

It's not a passive giving in.

It's a kicking and screaming, brakes on, full on slide into a place where we can stop struggling enough to know ourselves caught - and held - by one who brings life beyond our imagining, beyond our limited vision.

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day, Mardi Gras, call it what you will - it's the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, when we take time to contemplate Jesus' sojourn in the desert. Folk engage in all kinds of disciplines to help them mark the 40 days. This year,,I've put together a book of daily readings and reflections to help along the way.

It's available on the sidebar of the blog. I'll also post new reflections here each day of Lent.

However you choose to observe Lent, may you be conscious of the loving presence of God in your every day.